Miranda Dickson, 48, departed from the mandated black to paint the front door of her Drummond Place property a shade of Champagne pink, leading to the council threatening her with a £20,000 fine.

Ms Dickson said that her front door brings her “joy and happiness at a time when things are a little grey” and was stunned at the backlash to her redecorating.

Councillor Joanna Mowat, a Conservative who represents the city centre, said: “There’s been a considerable number of complaints about that door. It is quite a loud pink. Pepto-Bismol is the shade. It is quite noticeable when you walk down the street.”

She added: “There used to be very strict [rules] about what colour your door could be in the New Town, which we are not quite as prescriptive as those old colours – but it has to be a sober colour.”

Terry Levinthal, who is director of the Cockburn Association, a heritage watchdog, said: “It is important to recognise that the very qualities that make the New Town one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture and town planning in the world is its general uniformity and palatial presentation.

“The ‘traditional’ colour scheme for the New Town has been, since the 1970s, black doors and white windows.”

A spokesman from Edinburgh city council said that the door was “not in keeping” with the “historic character” of the area. He said: “The owner agreed the door would be repainted but as this work has not been carried out we are taking enforcement action requiring them to repaint the door.”